FAO favours commodities cell

PTISep 5, 2005, 04.40pm IST

NEW DELHI: The Food and Agriculture Organisation Monday favoured setting up a commodities cell under the agriculture ministry for conducting periodic studies on farm production, consumption trends and changing patterns at the national level.Data collected by the cell could be interpolated with developments at the global level to address the issues of malnutrition and international food security, FAO Director General Jacques Diouf said at a FICCI organised interactive meeting.What happens on Indian agricultural front impinges on the global foodgrain supply, he said, adding: "We expect India to play a lead role in attaining the goal of the 1999 World Food Summit of halving the number of the world's hungry by 2015".The DG said FAO's Committee on Commodities had discussed the issues arising out of the global food supply shortfall and the questions of depleting stocks and food security.